Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Tea Banh, Minister of National Defense, and his Thai counterpart H.E. Yuthasak Sasiprapha, yesterday agreed to comply with the Order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the withdrawal of the troops from the Provisional Demilitarized Zone (PDZ) near the Khmer sacred Preah Vihear Temple.

The decision was made at the 8th Meeting of Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee (GBC), held in Phnom Penh.

At a press conference held after the meeting, H.E. Tea Banh said Cambodia and Thailand agreed to implement the ICJ’s Order for provisional measures dated July 18, 2011, and decided to establish a Join Working Group to discuss issues in implementing the verdict in the PDZ.

Anyway, the date for the troop withdrawal has not been fixed yet.

On July 18, 2011, the ICJ ordered Cambodia and Thailand to immediately withdraw their arms personnel from 17 kilometers on the disputed border area near Preah Vihear Temple.

This is a positive result meeting between Cambodia and Thailand, H.E. Tea Banh said.

The meeting was held in a warm atmosphere, reflecting the close neighborhood relations between the two countries, H.E. Yuthasak Sasiprapha said at the press conference.

In the meeting, both military leaders also expressed their full commitment to promote peace and stability along the border and pledged to settle the border issues with peace and cooperation.

Cambodia and Thailand stepped to the deadly border clashes since July 2008 after Preah Vihear Temple was listed as a UNESCO’s World Heritage Site.